Upon waking early I had to take Mo out to do some business, which was unusual since she normally just waits, but at 6:30 she indicated very strongly that she needed to go out.

I quickly got dressed and put on my shoes – no socks – and took her for a little walk. There are no lights around here so the stars were spectacular, even without my glasses on. Back at the campervan Mo settled down and we got another couple of hours of sleep.

We had been hearing one of the cows in the field next door – it was making more than the usual mooing sounds, and just after 10:00 we saw why. One of the mama cows was being led across our parking lot and we assume she’d been separated from her calf or something and wasn’t terribly happy about it.

We got going north shortly after, and had dialed our destination into Miss GPS. However, it seems there are several little towns with very similar names and we were taken to the wrong one.

After we picked a slightly different destination on Miss Wayz we drove about 30 km to the top of the final small climb of the day’s race, near La Madera. Upon arriving we found that Mo had been sick – discreetly on the floor beside her sometime during the drive.

We found a great place to park several hundred meters from the top, and had a nice lunch of salmon, fried potatoes and salad.

About an hour before the race arrived the caravan/cavalcade passed. As usual it was nothing like the Tour’s is, but I still got a few things, including a Movistar bag and a packet of olives that I love. And for the first time in a long time we were able to put our flags up.

Several team cars pulled up and had guys available to hand out bidons if needed. One of the fellows from Education First – Cdn Michael Woods’s team – stopped almost right in front of me and I promptly asked him, very politely of course, if he would please move to the other side of me so he wouldn’t get in the way of my shots and he happily complied. I then pointed out the Cdn flag flying proudly from the campervan and told him where I’m from and asked if he might have a bidon left after the race had passed and he said that if he did he would give me one.

The race itself arrived at 5:05 with a breakaway of 5 or 6 riders, and the peloton only 1 minute behind, including current world champion Alejandro Valverde right near the front.

I got one very interesting shot of a tv moto interviewing the Bora Directeur Sportif as they drove past. The peloton took only about four minutes to pass us and then they were gone. True to his word the EF fellow gave me a bidon as he went back down to his team car.

When we got back to the campervan, which wasn’t very far, we discovered that Mo had had another accident – this time a very bloody poop inside on the floor, and she never poops inside the campervan. We are both very concerned but are hopeful that it’s a stomach thing from her hoovering anything she can find on the ground, rather than something serious.

Once we had gotten the flags down and were on our way it was clear sailing back south to the little campground that we loved at Rio Luna.

I woke up to another wet morning, but at least after the rain in the night I wasn’t surfing in my sleeping bag.

I started taking my tent apart nice and early so I could hang the fly and groundsheet to dry before packing it up. I also must confess to a slightly embarrassing, painful, yet funny incident from yesterday. Colin had gone for a shower after our nice bike ride to Foz, and I thought it would be a good idea to open a nice cold bottle of red to sip on while I sat in the sun.

Well – there has been more than one problem with the cork in a few of the last bottles, and this proved to be no exception. I got the cork almost out and it broke, so I reinserted the corkscrew but instead of catching the cork it just pushed it down to the bottom of the neck. So I thought ok – I’ll just push it right in and it’ll be alright, so I grabbed the wooden spoon and used the handle to push the cork down. Except perhaps I pushed harder than needed, or it was almost free, because the cork shot quickly down while the wine shot quickly up.

Not only did it splash all over my favourite turquoise shirt it also got in my eyes, especially the right one. It stung so bad I couldn’t believe it – I cried and cried and I guess my tears flushed it out as I didn’t go blind and the pain did subside.

By the time Colin returned from his shower I had changed my shirt and cleaned up the counter, as well as the cutlery drawer that had been open. As I recounted to him what I had happened I was laughing so hard I cried again, but laughing tears are so much nicer than pain tears!

Anyway, I was able to pack up my tent stuff that was pretty dry and we were on our way by about 10:30. I’m sad to be leaving San Rafael campground as it’s been really lovely here.

We stopped in Ribadeo for some groceries, then continued on east before turning south to go past Oviedo, then onwards to the ‘Valley of the Bears’. This is the valley we came down last week that has the beautiful walking/cycling trail that we’d both thought would be wonderful to ride on.

We stopped at a cafe near the bottom of the trail to ask about having our bikes and Mo’s chariot hauled up so we could ride down but we were told no, unless we also rented the equipment from them.

We then drove to near the top of the trail to the town of Entrago and were told the same thing at a different company – we think it’s an insurance issue. We walked down to a small cafe/bar and had a drink and decided to drive back down and find a nice place to stop for the night, then ride up as far as we felt the next day.

At the bar there was a female boxer dog that was quite friendly, although she had tumours or growths of some kind on her back and legs. Mo didn’t mind her, however, which is a bit unusual as she normally doesn’t care for other female dogs.

We drove back down about 13 km to just past the town of Proaza, where we found a nice large parking area right next to a park, and more importantly there was access to the trail. After settling in we had a nice early night.

The next morning was a bit overcast and somewhat chilly, but there was no rain forecast so we headed out on the bikes before noon. After proceeding less than 1 km along the trail we came upon a very large group of walkers, mostly older folks. They were totally blocking the path, although when I rang my bell repeatedly they happily made way for us to pass.

As we made our way by we saw why they’d stopped – one of the bears the trail is now famous for was just on the other side of the fence right above the trail. A little further on I saw the second bear on the other side of the road, also behind a nice high fence.

Since I’d stopped more than once to take photos Colin had gotten ahead of me – I couldn’t believe how long it took me to catch up. The trail is in pretty good condition in parts, but some stretches are very rough and full of potholes and ruts, especially in the tunnels.

We passed tons of folks, both walkers and riders, mostly coming down towards us. Just after exiting one tunnel I saw a small crowd of people gathered – they were watching some mountain climbers going up the cliff.

A little further on I stopped and asked a lady and her daughter how far it was to Entrago, and while the lady didn’t speak english the girl did. She told me it was another 2 or 3 km, and she was right. The trail does go gradually up the whole way, and although I didn’t notice it so much Colin sure did, having to pull Mo in her chariot.

We sat down at the same cafe we’d been at the night before and had a really nice lunch. Colin had chips and egg while I went for the chicken breast with chips – both were excellent, and the boxer got a fair amount of my chicken as it was a huge portion.

The ride back down was considerably easier than the ride up had been – much of the way I hardly needed to pedal. As it had been a fairly tiring day we decided to stay another night in the nice parking area and head out in the morning.

As I was dozing in my tent in the morning not quite ready to get up I heard a slight noise – kind of like the wind blowing a tent flap or something. I ignored it, then it happened again, then again. I rationalized that no spider would make such a sound so continued to ignore it until I decided to actually get up and go to the loo.

When I turned on my little night light and went to grab my pants something moved right by my hand – I stifled my scream as I saw that it was a little frog that was trying to get back out of the tent! I had – very unusually – left the zipper open several inches and the poor little guy had been able to jump in but was stymied on getting back out. I was able to hold the opening enough for him to eventually make it over and out, and he happily hopped away.

After our usual tea and breakfast we got on the bikes and rode into Foz again, heading for an electronics store I’d seen. I had followed the instructions that I’d gotten by email on how to get my keyboard working again, but rather than fixing the problem I seemed to have lost the keyboard itself.

Asking at one large store the older fellow told me to go across the street to a small store that should be able to help me, and he was right. The young lady inside tried several things, and was eventually able to establish bluetooth contact so that at least my ipad acknowledges the keyboard again, even though the five keys are still ‘dead’.

After that we went to one of the cafes we’d been to a couple of days ago – sitting outside across from the ocean, drinking excellent coffee and watching the people go by.

Back at the campground Colin started a bolognese sauce, and we retreated to the bar to watch another stage of the Vuelta. After yesterday’s rest day today’s stage was the individual time trial, and the order of the top contenders has changed.

Pasta dinner with the sauce was delicious and afterwards we went for a nice walk to the ocean, even going down to the beach. Colin took his sandals off and actually waded in but I chose to stay on a rock and just enjoy the view

When we returned to the campground and I was just turning in inside my tent I asked Colin what time it was and he was very surprised when he went to look at his watch – it wasn’t there. Realizing it must have come off during our walk he retraced our steps and actually had no problem finding it just sitting there on the grass. In any case it wasn’t his Rolex but only an Omega – ha ha.

After another good sleep in the tent I woke to a beautiful blue sky with a nice breeze. We took another nice bike ride into Foz, where we dismounted and walked our bikes along the seaside.

It’s a working port, with lots of little fishing boats, etc.

There are also many interesting sculptures in small parks, as well as some wall murals. After exploring a bit we decided to stop for lunch at one of the many restaurants.

The first one we stopped at only served tapas and they had no menu so we went next door – it was a good choice. Colin ordered the sardines and I got the scallops – they brought the sardines first, possibly as a first course for both of us. I did try a bit and it was very tasty.

Then my scallops arrived, and I have to say they might be the best scallops I’ve ever had. They were served in their shells and had been seared perfectly. Washed down with a lovely glass of Rioja it was an extremely enjoyable lunch.

On our way back to the campground we stopped for a beverage at our favourite cafe, then continued back to the campground facing a bit of a headwind.

Having had such a lovely, slightly late lunch we didn’t do much for dinner, and afterwards took another nice walk to the ocean.

During the night I could hear the wind howling and the rain pouring, even over the sound of the surf pounding, but I was sure I was safe and dry in my tent. Well – it turned out that wasn’t exactly the case. I was safe, and mostly dry, but there was a veritable little river running from right to left under the middle of the tent.

No rain had gotten in from above, but half of the floor of the tent was completely soaked, as was the bottom of my sleeping foamy. Fortunately my sleeping bag, camera and ipad were still dry, but everything else had to be hung out once the rain stopped.

After a much needed cup of tea and a bite to eat we went for a walk along the trail to the west of the campground. After a couple of km we came to a village but there was no cafe or anything open so we returned to the campground.

And I must admit that this was the first time, I believe, that I forgot to take my camera. It’s usually practically another appendage, but I’d moved some of my stuff to my backpack so I could take water bottle, etc, and at the last moment we left with my camera sitting in the campervan. I attempted a few photos with the ipad camera but it kind of sucked – perhaps with practice I could do a bit better, but I do prefer my real camera.

Back at the campground I set my tent up in another spot, hoping to avoid another flood. Another viewing of the Vuelta in the campground’s bar, with the sky looking stormy most of the afternoon.

The next day we drove to Ribadeo for some groceries, then came back along the smaller road that follows the coast.

We stopped at a nice pull-out and had lunch, then continued on, finding the restaurant La Barrica where we’d been two years ago, just down the road from the campground Gaivota that we’d stayed at.

Everywhere along this coast is just beautiful, but we both agree that the campground we’re now at is just perfect – so near the ocean, can’t hear any traffic and – NO KIDS!

While enjoying our morning tea we discussed the campground we were in and agreed it would be best if we left. If the loudspeaker blasting and children screaming are a nightly occurrence then we don’t want to listen.

Packing up was easy as it hadn’t rained and all my stuff was nice and dry. We drove west and a bit north along the coast as far as the town of Viveiro before deciding that we actually preferred the area around Foz better so backtracked to a very small campground just west of the town.

The campground is right on the ocean and is quiet, and most importantly – no kids! It has a nice little bar/cafe, although unfortunately Mo isn’t allowed inside. And I’ve suddenly got a problem with the nifty bluetooth keyboard I have attached to my ipad mini – five of the keys are not responding anymore. I can probably do without the q and the x, but I do miss the r,y and h.

For now I’m using the keyboard on the screen but it really slows me down – I’m used to about eighty or ninety words a minute and the four finger ‘hunt and peck’ method sucks. A good cleaning of the keyboard hasn’t solved the problem, so I’m awaiting a response from the maker of it.

The day we arrived at the campground we asked if the owner would put the Vuelta on for us in the bar, but by the time we found the proper channel the day’s stage had just ended. It looked like a very exciting stage, too, with Valverde victorious on one of the mountain finishes. At least we now know what channel it’s on, though.

After a blissfully quiet night we decided to go for a bike ride into Foz – the road winds right along the coast next to a great walking path.

We stopped at a cafe for a nice cup of coffee, than rode around looking for a bank.

We wondered if there was a festival on or something as we’d seen more than one person with face paint.

At one point we heard some drumming and came upon a large group that were all dressed up with painted faces and were drumming, along with a couple of tamborines, etc. It was very cool!

We stopped at another cafe and had a small bite to eat – I got some ham and cheese croquettes and they were very tasty, although quite filling.

Upon leaving we had a nice ride back to the campground in time to watch the day’s race on tv – at least as soon as the basketball game ended that Spain won by 40 points. We couldn’t change the channel just in case the other country scored as many points in the last few minutes as they had in the last two quarters.

It was very windy and threatening rain for hours, but didn’t materialize before I retreated to my tent for the night.

We packed up fairly leisurely – all of the tent stuff had to be hung to dry as it’d rained during the night. As we were filling up with water, etc, I walked over to say thank you to the owner. As I told him how much I’d loved staying at his campground and how beautiful the area is he told me ‘I have no words’ and looked like he might cry. It’s certainly one of the places we would come back to in a minute if we are ever nearby again.

Just before we were ready to leave Colin pointed up and said ‘look – vultures’, and there were dozens of them, all moving in the same direction and then circling above a nearby field.

We drove north through San Emiliano and followed the very scenic secondary road towards the coast. Right near where the road peaks we entered Asturia and it was literally all downhill from there. A good part of it has a lovely looking walking and biking trail – perhaps an old rail line – and it looked to be well used. Another place we’d like to come back to when we have time to stop and go for a nice long ride.

As we approached the north coast we turned west, heading for one of the many campgrounds. After being disappointed with the first three or four we finally found a fairly small one right on the ocean – it seemed lovely so we stopped searching and checked in.

There were quite a few kids running around and screaming, and just after 9:30 at night the loudspeaker started blasting for about twenty minutes – we’re not sure what it was about but it was very annoying.

It eventually got very quiet, though, until all I could hear was the ocean, and it was so warm I barely needed my sleeping bag so I did end up having a pretty good sleep.

In the morning we took a nice long walk on a boardwalk at the edge of the beach, then continued up a small hill to where a little church was, with great views of the beach below and the coast beyond.

There were a few folks camping up there, some of them were surfers, and as we descended we saw a group with boards at the water’s edge getting instructions. The day was rather misty, and the sun never did really burn it off.

We continued back past the campground to the restaurant just up another small hill and had a coffee overlooking the ocean. A little later we went inside and they turned the Vuelta on for us.

After a really nice salmon dinner we were just settling in when the loudspeaker started blaring again – we couldn’t believe it. After several minutes we’d had enough so up we marched to the office and asked what the heck was going on. Apparently this is a nightly occurrence and would be over soon.

Back trying to relax again we realized that the loudspeaker had gotten the screaming kids going again and we just couldn’t stand it. Another march to the office with another unsatisfactory conclusion – they wouldn’t let us speak with the manager or anything. And the kids screamed and ran around for another hour or so.

After a warmer sleep – I used the duvet rather than the black blankie for extra warmth – I had another slightly late morning. We did get going before noon on a nice walk that took us around the large outcropping that’s near the campground.

We navigated around it and to the village of Sena de Luna, which is about 1 km from the campground and across the main road. We thought there was a cafe there, but after wandering around and encountering several of the local dogs we were met with disappointment.

There was a hostel, which we took as a hopeful sign, but upon asking a local old fellow where a cafe/bar was he proceeded to tell us how to get to the campground – ha ha!

On one building was a placque on the wall of the ‘virgen of Covadonga’ – apparently there’s a sanctuary at the top of the mountain, which is one of the hardest climbs in the country and is frequently included in the Vuelta.

The tv in the cafe/bar was turned on for us and we got to watch the day’s stage of the Vuelta, with no interruptions for soccer games.

After a nice dinner of bacon, eggs and mashed potatoes we had an early night, and it was a fairly cold one – glad for the extra warmth again of the duvet in my tent.

The next morning promised a beautiful sunny day. I actually did yoga! There are a couple of cement pads poured to house more permanent structures so I spread out my extra ground-cover and put my yoga mat on that – all in a nice spot of sunshine.

As we were getting ready to go for a bike ride the young dutch couple came to say goodbye to us – they’re heading to Santiago de Compestela then on to Portugal before returning home in December. We got on our ride just before noon to San Emiliano for a couple of things from the store there. It was a very nice ride with no steep or bad hills, and fairly considerate cars – Mo was happy as usual in her carriage, just like a little queen.

Back at the campground I had a nice hot shower, we did some laundry and hung it all out to dry as we retreated inside the cafe/bar to watch another stage of the Vuelta.

We didn’t need to get to San Emiliano that early so we sat down at the cafe/bar drinking our usual ‘cafe con leche, grande’ when a fellow at another table starting chatting with us. First he asked about the wi-fi password, which Colin remembered but I didn’t – I only had to use it the first time and since then my i:pad logs in automatically.

Anyway, the guy is originally from Belgium but now lives in Marseilles so he can see his two daughters, who were with him. They’re leaving for Portugal later in the day and will likely pop in at the horse show first. We had lots to talk about since we spent six weeks in Belgium in the spring.

The two little girls – about five and seven, maybe – loved Mo, as most children do. She’s so patient as they pat her and coo at her – she never gets growly or snaps at anyone, although she will chase a cat if it runs from her.

Just before noon we headed out to San Emiliano, which is under 10 km from the campground. It’s a nice looking little place – just big enough for several cafes/bars, a couple of banks and a supermarket.

It was pretty crowded because of the horse show so we had to park quite far up one of the roads but it wasn’t too bad. We found the showground easily enough – as an english lady at the campground said ‘just follow the crowd’ – no problem!

The show was awesome – lots of booths setup selling everything horsey, as well as booths for local specialities of chorizo, cheese, etc.

The horses were in several different roped areas, mostly mothers with littles ones, but also some stallions. They were taken in groups to a lower ringed area where they were judged, with the winner getting gold ribbons.

It rained off and on and we were glad to have our umbrellas. We had a nice lunch under a canopy – bacon sandwiches with fries, washed down with some very nice chilled red.

When the rain had stopped for a bit we walked around some more and saw some of the stallion judging. One of them got a little fiesty and we wondered if the owner would be able to control him – luckily he settled down.

A large ‘brindle’ (?) coloured horse won, and we think he knew he was special.

Other than with the stallions they only have to have a halter and rope on a few of the horses – once the ‘lead’ horse is taken somewhere the rest all follow. As the competition ended many of the horses were led right down the road.

I believe there’s a fair amount of buying/selling/trading of the horses in addition to the show. Once almost extinct they’ve made a comeback – they are Hispano-Breton and are used as work horses as well as for meat.

When we left San Emiliano we passed the campground and followed the road we’d walked on the other day as far as the village of Abelgas de Luna – not that much to see there.

They kindly put the Vuelta on the tv for us again in the bar so we could keep current with the progress of the race.

As I was lying awake early in the morning not knowing what time it was I heard a distant noise that gradually got louder and louder. It consisted of bells with occasional shouts, baa-baa-baaing, and the odd moo. Apparently a group of men were doing a mass move of sheep and cows and it took about 20 minutes for the whole group to pass. They were very near the campground – likely on the small side road that goes into the hills behind.

As I finally looked at the clock on my i:pad and saw it was only 7:30 I promptly rolled over and tried to get a bit more sleep. It had been a chilly night and even with my fuzzy black blankie on top of my sleeping bag I wasn’t really warm.

Having finally arisen just after 9:00 I had a really nice hot shower, then tapped on the campervan door to see about morning tea – Colin and Mo were still abed, although at least they were awake.

After breakfast we got the bikes off the rack, assembled the Mo-bile and went for a little ride. Just a few km up the main road – which is quite nice to ride on – we crossed the Rio Luna to check out the village on the other side – not much to see there, so back to a coffee shop we’d passed.

It was lovely – sitting outside on chairs on the grass, under some nice large trees – almost like being in someone’s courtyard. And the very creamy coffee was delicious.

Rather than heading straight back to the campground – we’d only ridden a few km – we continued down the same main road until we came to a junction. Not knowing what was ahead or how the road was we turned around back to the campground.

After another nice shower we had a late lunch picnic style outside at the table. Colin had gotten a crusty baguette for himself from the bread-man that delivers to the campground every morning, and we’d found some lovely cheddar cheese at the last store we’d shopped at. Together with some sliced veggies it was a tasty lunch.

We saw a poster on the office wall about a horse event of some kind coming up in the nearby village of San Emiliano in a couple of days and have decided it would be nice to go see what it’s about.

The next day instead of going for another ride we opted for a long walk. Colin had picked up a couple of maps from the office and there are trails all over the place around here.

I wanted to see if we could reach the lake so we hiked up the small road that runs by the campground – we did have great views of the Rio Luna just below us but didn’t go far enough to see the lake. It was starting to get quite hot and I was starting to get hungry so we turned back.

We saw a ‘for sale’ sign on one side of the road – it looked like there were at least two little cabins and a bit of land – hmmm!

Back at camp I cut the day-old baguette into small rounds and fried them up with a bit of onion. Some nice cherry tomatoes and the chorizo we got the other day, along with the cheddar cheese made another great picnic lunch.

After spending some time down at the bar – me drinking cold red wine and using the wi-fi – we had a quiet afternoon before going back to the bar for our dinner. The nice dutch fellow that, along with his wife/girlfriend, help run the campground put the race on for us – it’s the first day of the Vuelta a Espana and is the Team Time Trial. That didn’t last long, however, as several local men came in and the tv was quickly changed over to one of the soccer matches that were on.

It was later than I thought when I got up – I hadn’t heard the 7:00 alarm which was apparently because Colin’s phone had run out during the night. We had a kind-of-weak cup of tea as we were down to our last bag, then got on the road west towards Leon.

We followed a somewhat familiar route – past Najera and Burgos, then continuing west past Sahagun until just south of Leon.

The Camino de Santiago was almost always nearby, going alongside us, then crossing over to the other side, while occasionally veering a little south or north from the motorway.

Miss GPS managed, once again, to get us off track at the very end – we knew we were being misled and had to fire up Miss Wayz to get us back to where we were actually heading – the place that hopefully will be able to fix the fridge in the campervan. We don’t have a lot in the fridge right now since unless we’re hooked up to electrics it barely keeps things cool – the blue cheese is bluer than it should be, if you know what I mean!

We eventually located the place we were looking for – closed for lunch, of course. Just as I was looking up a phone number a lady walked up to us and told us a friend of hers ran the shop and he’d be back in about an hour, but we could wait where we were until he returned.

Promptly at 3:30 the fellow came back to open up the shop – he had a quick look at the fridge, then went indside and made a bunch of phone calls. The quickest he could get the necessary part was 10 days, so since we can’t possibly wait that long he decided to try to fix it himself.

I took Mo across the road to a cafe to wait while Colin assisted the very nice fellow. After about an hour they were done and the fridge is working – at least on gas, but not sure about battery. Colin came over to get us – we enjoyed some free tapas, including some local chorizo that the bartender was particularly pleased about.

We’d picked two campsites to choose from about an hour’s north of Leon – one right on a man-made lake/reservoir and the other just north of it. We passed on the first one – it looked very pretty but was squished in right between the highway and the lake.

The second one was perfect – very quiet, not too big, really nice people. It has a small bar with a nice outside sitting area, as well as wi-fi, although the signal’s not great.